Nichane

Nichane ( Direct, Arab straight in Moroccan: نيشان ) (in the past Aljareeda Alokhra ) is a Moroccan weekly magazine in Arab language belonging to press group TELQUEL.

The first number of this tabloïd is appeared on September 9th, 2006 with a pulling of 20.000 specimens. Ahmed R. Benchemsi is her director of the publication and the drafting.

Prohibition: the business of the “noukates” (jokes)

In its number of December 15th, 2006 the very new Moroccan weekly magazine published a file entitled “Jokes: how the Morrocans laugh at the religion, the sex and the policy”. As Nichane popularization published one framed beginning again of the jokes, drawn from the Moroccan oral inheritance, making fun of the religion.

This file caused an outcry, the jokes concerning the Islam were considered to be offensive, insulting and blasphématoires by certain readers. An islamist site was creates to launch a campaign for the prohibition of the weekly magazine. The calls of its initiators were relayed by Arab media so that of the Kuwaiti deputies protested in front of the embassy of Morocco.

Whereas the drafting of the weekly magazine intended to present excuses to the readers who felt offended, the first Moroccan minister Driss Jettou took an administrative decree of prohibition of the weekly magazine one week after the facts. The parquet floor was seizes to launch a legal proceeding against Driss Ksikes, director of the publication, and Sanaa Elaji, writer of the article accused, for offense of “attack to the Islamic religion”. A decision greeted by the council of Oulémas of Morocco and several Moroccan preserving associations but denounced by the Trade union of the Moroccan Press and the associative sector.

On Monday, January 9, 2007, in front of the County court of Casablanca the prosecutor of the king required the judgment of the two journalists to sorrows from two to five years of prison, the prohibition of the publication of the weekly magazine as well as exercise of the profession for both journalist. A particularly severe indictment, considered to be foolish and antiquated by Reporters association without borders.

January 15th, 2007, the county court of Casablanca returned its verdict and condemned the two journalists to three one-year suspended sentences and a collective fine of 80.000 dirhams (approximately 7.220 euros). The court, which did not follow the indictment of the prosecutor, prohibited during two months (January 15th - March 15th, 2007) the publication of the weekly magazine. Nichane is reappeared in kiosk on March 17th, 2007. Driss Ksikes having resigned of its station after the lawsuit, the direction of the publication returned to Ahmed R. Benchemsi, in addition directing of the French-speaking magazine TelQuel, which belongs to the same press group.

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